01/02/2024 Glen Garioch

Glen Garioch 21yo d.1965 (43%, OB imported by AUXIL): nose: a dusty one, with all sorts of lint and fluff that quickly turn out to be smoky. Indeed, we have smoked ham, cured dry sausage, and sliced horse fillet. It also has wood, dusty shelves, as well as lacquers and oils. Further back, deeper nosing reveals spearmint, or dried-toothpaste crumbs -- maybe the lichen from the first time we had this. A delicate smoke lingers, almost imperceptible, at times close to solvents, as if acetone could be smoky. Lastly, we detect an interesting mix of potting soil and plasticine. Sadly, fifteen minutes in the glass seem to be enough to disperse those aromas in the wind, and the nose goes ridiculously quiet. The second nose is smokier, a garden fire fuelled by dried cut grass and felled bushes (dried bramble, honeysuckle branches). Soon, dry sausage comes back, spicier than before, although not chorizo by a long shot. Csabai Kolbász, at a push, though I reckon tamer than that too. Mouth: a fruity attack, full of wild strawberries, is joined by cocoa beans, cinnamon powder, and walnut paste. It is unctuous on the tongue, elevated by clear wood spices (ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger powder), but well behaved. Bring the glass close to your ear, and you will hear half of France cry: "Imagine this at cask strength!" It has a dash of cola too, copper coins, and little smoke to talk about. Roasted cocoa beans have taken its place. The second sip is earthier, potting soil, wet coffee grounds, and definitely ground cloves. It cannot shake off stained-wood-shelf splinters, and that is fine. Finish: a little indistinct, honestly. It does stay in the mouth for a while, and, with time, one can pick walnut paste, cinnamon sticks, a few grains of powdered ginger, and 55%-cocoa chocolate from this finish, yet that requires a lot of work and careful analysis. Casually sipping this, one would likely only notice a pleasant warmth, and a gentle bitterness. Burnt-shelf smoke is my guess. The second sip is in line: burnt shelves extinguished with chocolate milk. Very late, the last surviving touch is that of smoky varnish: glossy, sweet, solvent-y, and smoky. Original. I could go down to 7, but that would be unfair. It is a very good drop, even if one would be excused for expecting more of something with this pedigree. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, OB)